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Diabetes: A Silent Disease

Did you know that 18.2 million people have Diabetes, and only 13 million people are aware that they have the disease? That leaves us with about 5.2 million people that are unaware that they have diabetes. Diabetes is one of the top six causes of death in the United States. There are three types of Diabetes caused directly by the lack of insulin production, or insulin resistance.

Before we take a look at the different types of diabetes, I want to give you an overview of how your body takes care of glucose. In a person that does not have diabetes the pancreas releases the hormones insulin and glucagon. The pancreas is a gland in the abdomen that secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine and also secretes the hormones insulin, and glucagon into the blood, where they regulate blood glucose levels. The pancreas is also a digestive organ that produces trypsin, chymotrypsin and other enzymes as a pancreatic juice. The pancreas also has endocrine functions in the production of the hormones somatostatin (controls the rate of nutrient absorption into the bloodstream), insulin, and glucagon. Insulin and glucagon are typically known as pancreas receptors. These receptors monitor the blood glucose (C6H12O6) levels that are necessary for cell respiration. Without glucose, cells can not produce ATP. The need for ATP fluctuates, which means that the volume of glucose is regulated and used as needed. The liver stores glycogen, a form of glucose. Insulin is released and will target the liver when an increase of glucose is present in the blood. Insulin tells the liver to convert the extra glucose into glycogen so it can be stored for later use. When the glucose level decreases, glucagon is released by the pancreas and targets the liver. Glucagon tells the liver to convert glycogen into glucose.
First we will explore Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes used to be called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes. This type of diabetes develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells. The pancreas contains exocrine cells (pancreatic beta cells), and endocrine cells (the pancreatic islets) that secrete digestive enzymes into the small intestine. The islets secrete the hormones insulin and glucagon, which regulate blood glucose levels. Pancreatic beta cells are the only cells that make insulin. Insulin production may be very minimal, or not present at all in people with Type 1 diabetes. Due to the insufficient

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